Dried up marinas may get state help to dredge

With Great Lakes water levels at lows not seen in more than a century, bills speeding their way through

the Legislature would dredge key marinas and offer low-interest loans for dredging work to all private marinas as the boating season approaches.

Some marinas have seen their docking areas dry up, others rely upon narrow navigation channels heading out of the marina to deep water that are far too shallow to accommodate boats of any size.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Jack Brandenburg, a Harrison Township Republican, that would provide loans from local banks was approved by the Senate on a 37-0 vote this past week.

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“This takes the burden off the marina owners. The boating industry is a $3.9 billion boost to the Michigan economy. Right now, we are in serious trouble with the shape the Great Lakes are in,” said Brandenburg, who lives on a canal that leads to Lake St. Clair.

The loan program, which would cost the state $1 million over a 5-year period, is supported by the Michigan Bankers Association.

Though the bill sailed through the Senate and was sent to the House for final approval, some House Republicans are already balking at the legislation, calling it a “bailout” for the marina industry.

“This is based on a similar loan program that we approved last year for the orchards and the farmers that were hit hard by drought. They (conservative Republicans) called it the fruit bailout the fruit TARP,” said Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, a Columbus Township Republican who introduced a bill very similar to Brandenburg’s in the House.

LaFontaine, who represents Chesterfield Township and New Baltimore, said the TARP label was a reference to the 2008-09 Troubled Asset Relief Program that provided federal assistance to failing banks.

“This is not about mismanagement. These problems are weather-based. It’s out of the marinas’ control. It’s due to an act of God.”

Separate bills making their way toward the governor’s desk would reallocate $21 million from the Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Michigan Waterways Commission to finance dredging projects at designated “harbors of refuge” where boaters can seek shelter from a storm. The money would fund at least 49 projects, including a major effort to remove silt and sediment from the harbor at Lake St. Clair Metropark, formerly known as Metro Beach.

The bill, which faces approval in the House, is opposed by environmentalists who say the Trust Fund, consisting of oil and gas revenues, was always earmarked for land-based recreational projects and improvements.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller said many lakefront cities that feature large harbors have been hurt by a lack of federal funding, particularly since Congress outlawed “earmarks” for relatively small projects. An avid boater for decades, the congresswoman said she is already working toward getting some of the $21 million for Thumb Area towns in her district, such as Lexintgton, Sanilac and Caseville.

“This is a huge economic factor for these small towns. So, we’re looking for a Michigan solution,” said Miller, a Harrison Township Republican.

The loan program, which Miller also supports, would provide a 5 percent cost savings to each marina that pursues the assistance, mostly in state financing of upfront fees charged by banks. The loans would be paid off within five years.

Eric Foster, general partner at Belle Maer Harbor in Harrison Township, said his company paid $800,000 to dredge their channel in 2000, when the local economy was still robust. Now, Foster is looking for help in clearing the 1-mile channel again, given the low water levels.

Located on Anchor Bay, the channel cuts a path through areas of the shallow bay that are just 1- to 3-feet deep, providing Belle Maer boaters access to lake waters that are 7-feet-deep or more.

“That channel is not my property. That’s the state’s property. When someone has a land-based business the state provides roads that provide access to your business,” said Foster, whose marina features more than 900 boat slips.

While marinas owned by the state Department of Natural Resources receive gas tax revenues generated at boat docks for dredging and other improvements, the private marinas, which also provide access to public waters for recreational boaters, have never received state assistance.

“What we’re saying to the state is, if we’re going to dredge your lake bottom, at least give us loans so we can spread the cost over several years,” Foster added. “We don’t think that’s a whole lot to ask.”

Macomb Daily photo by David Dalton

The canals at Lucas Marine in Harrison Township, located adjacent to the lakeshore, are drying up, leaving the docks littered with debris and unable to accommodate boats of any size.